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Atlanta, GA -- Today, the Trump administration announced new vehicle emission guidelines which roll back the existing Clean Car Standards. This regressive move will get rid of our nation’s best climate change mitigation program, which is cutting future carbon emissions more effectively than any other current federal policy. Preliminary calculations indicate this move could increase global warming emissions by 2.2. billion metric tons. It also threatens to worsen Georgia’s air quality—a report put out by Environment Georgia in June 2018 found that Atlanta had 118 dirty air days in 2016. This action betrays the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA)’s stated mission of protecting human health and the environment.

Environment Georgia Director Jennette Gayer released the following statement:

“How can we justify rolling back the most effective tool we have to address global warming?

“Ironically, the same administration that wants to roll back our clean car rules has officially acknowledged that we have a problem. Last November, the Trump administration released a Climate Science Special Report as part of the latest National Climate Assessment. In the report, the nation’s top scientists confirmed that global warming is caused by humans burning fossil fuels. Given that transportation emissions are now the number one source of global warming pollution, the administration would be wise to change course.

“Adopting this irresponsible proposal would exacerbate the global warming that now turbocharges weather systems ranging from always-dangerous tropical cyclones to once-benign rainstorms. Increasingly high-powered storms are leaving a trail of tragedy, from the massive hurricanes that struck Houston and Puerto Rico last fall, to the flooding of Ellicott City, Maryland in May. Polls show that 50 percent of Americans believe that global warming will harm them personally, and 75 percent think it will harm future generations. Extreme weather, wildfires, tick-borne diseases and other worsening climate-related scourges are already impacting American families, homes and businesses.

“We need national leaders who understand that a stable climate is a crucial foundation for a strong country and healthy Americans. If we roll back clean car standards, we’ll shirk our responsibility to preserve our quality of life for future generations. We need to protest this short-sighted move vigorously, reverse course immediately, and once again become a world leader on global warming solutions.”